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* The Electronic AIR *
* *
* The Electronic Newsletter *
* of the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) *
* Serving Institutional Research Professionals *
* and Those Engaged in Mgt. Research, Policy Analysis & Planning *
* *
* 7/26/04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Volume 25, Number 15 *
* Part A *
* *
* Editor: Meihua Zhai, George Mason University *
* (mailto:mzhai@gmu.edu) *
* Associate Editor: Marne Einarson, Cornell University *
* (mailto:mke3@cornell.edu) *
* Jobs Editor: Gail Fishman, AIR *
* (mailto:gfishman@mailer.fsu.edu) *
*Subscription Mgt.: Norm Gravelle, Assoc. for Institutional Research *
* (mailto:air@mailer.fsu.edu) *
* Suggestion: Easier to Read Using a Mono space Font Such as Courier *
* Get Back Issues at: http://ira.rose-hulman.edu/E-AIR *
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* Current Subscribers = 5139 *
* Next Issue Target Publication Date: 8/26/04 *
* Next Issue Copy Deadline: 8/23/04 *
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* Table of Contents *
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* WORDS FROM M&M (EDITORS' NOTE) *
* THE CHANGING SCENE *
* AIR NEWS - 2005 AIR Forum Call for Proposals (Deadline: October 1) *
* AIR NEWS - 2005 AIR Nominations (Deadline: September 15) *
* AIR NEWS - Affiliated Groups News July 2004 Issue Available *
* WORKSHOP NEWS - Designing & Implementing Effective Web Surveys *
* PUBLICATION NEWS - NCES Language Minorities and Their Educational *
* and Labor Market Indicators--Recent Trends *
* PUBLICATION NEWS - Second Volume of First-Year Assessment Strategies
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* EDITORS' NOTES: A Bridge, Channels and E-AIR *
* Meihua Zhai, Editor, George Mason University, (mzhai@gmu.edu) *
* Marne Einarson, Associate Editor, Cornell University, *
* (mke3@cornell.edu) *
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Dear Colleagues,
Greetings from Meihua (pronounced "may-hwa", meaning "beautiful China"
or "US-China", depending on the context) and Marne (pronounced "mar-
nee"), your new Editor and Associate Editor, respectively, of
Electronic AIR.
We view Electronic AIR as a virtual bridge that connects readers with
one another, offers access to a broader audience when searching for
professional assistance, and provides a forum for sharing information
about events and publications related to our profession.
With those goals in mind, we have decided to add two small corners to
the newsletter: "Technical Tips from the Field" and "Editors’ Book of
the Month." The TECHNICAL TIPS corner is intended as a place for
readers to share practical tips, techniques and shortcuts that
can make a difference in our working hours. Through the BOOK OF THE
MONTH feature, we hope to acquaint you with publications that provide
practical guidance on the technical or administrative aspects of our
profession, offer current research and/or provoke thought and
discussion on current issues in higher education.
We are both honored by and excited about this opportunity to serve our
AIR community. We thank the Publications Committee for their selection
and, most of all, wish to thank Timothy Chow, our predecessor, for
setting such an outstanding example to follow. We look forward to
hearing from you, our colleagues. We welcome your contributions to this
newsletter ­ whether through "Technical Tips," "The Changing Scene,"
"Parting Thoughts," or other news to share.
Because both our names start with an "M" we jokingly refer to ourselves
as "M&M." We hope that through our efforts as the new Editor and
Associate Editor, Electronic AIR will be as enjoyable as that
confection, but with more substance and fewer calories.
Sincerely,
Meihua & Marne
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* THE CHANGING SCENE *
* "A way to keep up with news about our colleagues." *
* Meihua Zhai, George Mason University (mzhai@gmu.edu) *
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This portion of the newsletter is devoted to keeping you informed
about changes such as readers who relocate to new positions and/or
institutions, professional recognition awards and honors,
retirements, deaths, newly hired colleagues, promotions, etc. If you
become aware of a change on your campus or elsewhere which should be
mentioned in "The Changing Scene," please send a note with the
key facts to Meihua Zhai (mailto:mzhai@gmu.edu). Keep it brief, but
include the information you think others would like to know.
ROBERT DALY (bob.daly@ucr.edu) has recently assumed the position of
Assistant Vice Chancellor, Institutional Planning at the University of
California, Riverside. Bob was previously the Director, Analytical
Studies and Information Management at the University of California,
Irvine for the past 24 years. Congratulations, Bob!
WM. MICHAEL WOOD (mwood@gmu.edu) is taking the position of Director of
Institutional Research at Delta College. Delta is located at
University Center, MI. Wife Kathleen is a native Michiganian, so for
her it is a homecoming. Michael was Associate Director of
Institutional Research and Report at George Mason University. He
worked there for 7.5 years. Best wishes, Michael! Our loss is their
gain!
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* AIR NEWS - 2005 AIR Forum Call for Proposals (Deadline: October 1) *
* Steve Chambers, AIR (air@mailer.fsu.edu) *
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We invite you to participate in the 2005 AIR Forum. The 45th AIR Forum
is May 29 - June 1, 2005 in San Diego, California. The theme: MISSION:
Improve Higher Education, or MISSION: Desarrollar la Educación
Universitaria is inspired by the Mission San Diego de Alcala and other
historic California Spanish missions. The California missions
symbolize the beginnings of today's formal education. Three hundred
years later, the legacy and symbol of the missions will hopefully
inspire institutional researchers with their advancement of higher
education.
The Call for Proposals is at: http://www.airweb.org/page.asp?page=47
and a copy will be mailed to you this week. Please note that the
submission instructions for Forum proposals and Pre-Forum Workshop
proposals are online this year. There are a variety of presentation
formats offering you creative freedom and complimenting your individual
styles.
Please consider sharing your research, best practices, projects, or
special studies with your AIR colleagues. We also encourage you to
collaborate with colleagues within your organization and from other
organizations. The deadline for proposals is October 1, 2004.
The Web-based proposal submission tool is available at
http://www.airweb.org/page.asp?page=4
and choose either Track Proposal or Pre-Forum Workshop Proposal. The
Web tool increases the likelihood that your proposal will follow the
required formatting specifications. You may also submit your proposal
as a Word or WordPerfect e-mail attachment to: air@mailer.fsu.edu.
Give serious consideration to submitting a proposal for the 2005 AIR
Forum. It's a great way to enhance your career and expand your
professional network!
Sincerely,
Steve Chambers
2005 Forum Chair
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* AIR NEWS - AIR Nominations (Deadline: September 17, 2004) *
* Vic Borden, AIR (air@mailer.fsu.edu) *
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As chair of the 2004-2005 Nominating Committee, I have the pleasure of
working with this year's Committee members -David Cheng, Patricia
Harvey, Joseph Hoey, Julie Noble and Sarah Parrott - to assemble a
slate of candidates for open positions on the 2005-2006 Board of
Directors, as well as next year's Nominating Committee. We now seek
your help in identifying AIR members who can advance the Association to
even higher levels of excellence in the coming years.
Please give careful thought as to who among yourselves and colleagues
can contribute their time and talents to the Association. Then visit
the AIR Web site (http://airweb.org) and click on Nominations to use
the online form to recommend those individuals for further
consideration.
For the coming election, we seek candidates for Vice President,
Associate Forum Chair, Secretary and External Relations Committee
Chair, Professional Development Services Committee Chair, and
Nominating Committee (5 positions). Although you may designate which
position a member might be best suited for, all nominees will be
subsequently asked to indicate which positions they are willing to
serve.
The deadline for nominations is September 17, 2004.
If you have any questions, please contact the AIR Executive Office at
(850) 644-4470 or e-mail: air@mailer.fsu.edu.
Thanks in advance for taking time from your summer schedule to help
select capable stewards for AIR.
Sincerely,
Vic Borden
Immediate Past President
Nominating Committee Chair
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* AIR NEWS - Affiliated Groups News July 2004 Issue Available *
* Gail Fishman, AIR (gfishman@mailer.fsu.edu) *
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The AGNews is sent electronically to all liaisons. A web link to the
current issue may be found on the Affiliated Groups web page:
http://www.airweb.org/page.asp?page=23 PLEASE SEND
NEWS BY THE 25TH OF THE MONTH TO BE INCLUDED IN THE NEXT ISSUE!
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* WORKSHOP NEWS - Designing & Implementing Effective Web Surveys *
* Steve Porter, Director of Institutional Research, Wesleyan *
* University (sporter@wesleyan.edu) *
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Steve Porter will be presenting a two-part workshop over the web on
designing and administering web surveys. The workshop will be held in
the afternoon of September 13th and 15th, and is being offered through
Academic Impressions.
Topics include the costs and benefits of web surveys, technical aspects
such as choosing the right email and survey software, steps for a
successful administration of a web survey, and aspects of good web
survey design.
Navigate to
https://www.academicimpressions.com/web_conferences/web_surveys.htm to
read more about the workshop.
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* PUBLICATION NEWS - Second Volume of First-Year *
* Assessment Strategies *
* Tracy L. Skipper, Editorial Projects Coordinator(tlskipper@sc.edu)*
* National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and *
* Students in Transition University of South Carolina *
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That faculty and staff filling a variety of roles in colleges and
universities are expected to assess the effectiveness of students'
educational experiences is old news. However, those who are called on
to perform assessment continue to look for comprehensive and practical
resources to guide their work.
The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students
in Transition and Policy Center on the First College Year are pleased
to introduce a second volume of essays collected from the First-Year
Assessment Listserv (FYA-List). Like the first volume, this one brings
together the nation's leading experts and practitioners of assessment
in the first college year.
Proving and Improving, Volume II: Tools and Techniques for Assessing
the First College Year, edited by Randy L. Swing, is the comprehensive
and practical guide to assessment practitioners have been seeking.
Proving and Improving, Volume II offers:
-- a comprehensive introduction describing strategies for implementing
an effective assessment effort
-- case studies of qualitative assessment strategies
-- overviews of commercially available instruments
-- a typology of assessment instruments that allows side-by-side
comparisons of instruments
With its focus on the first college year, Proving and Improving, Volume
II is an invaluable desktop reference for both novice and seasoned
assessment practitioners.
To learn more about this monograph or to order your copy today, please
visit us at:
www.sc.edu/fye/publications/monograph/monographs/ms037.html
Tracy L. Skipper
Editorial Projects Coordinator
National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in
Transition University of South Carolina
tlskipper@sc.edu
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* NEW PUBLICATIONS - Language Minorities and Their Educational and *
* Labor Market Indicators--Recent Trends *
* NCES Newsflash, NCES (NCESWebMaster@ed.gov) *
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The NCES report, 'Language Minorities and Their Educational and Labor
Market Indicators--Recent Trends,' examines trends in the
characteristics of the U.S. language minority population from 1979
through 1999. It examines changes in the numbers and proportion of the
language minority population compared to the total U.S. population 5 to
24 years old and also discusses changes in the language minority
population by language subgroups and English ability. Further, it
examines education, income and labor force outcomes for this population
during the two-decade period.
To download, view and print the report as a pdf file, please visit:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2004009
- - - - - - - - -
This newsletter is continued in Part B, sent separately.
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* If you wish to subscribe, change your e-mail address, or request a *
* subscription for someone else, send it to Norm Gravelle, AIR Exec- *
* utive Office (air@mailer.fsu.edu) [Florida State University]. *
* ---------------- *
* If you have AIR news, send it to Meihua Zhai, Editor, at: *
* (mzhai@gmu.edu) [George Mason University]. *
* (Please limit submissions to 72 characters or fewer per line and *
* use mixed case, NOT ALL CAPS--NO NEED TO SHOUT.) *
* ---------------- *
* If you have news for the SCUP electronic newsletter, send it to *
* Terry Calhoun, SCUP Communications Director (tcalhoun@scup.org). *
* ----------------- *
* For further information regarding individual or organizational *
* membership in the Association for Institutional Research, contact *
* Terrence Russell, Executive Director, AIR, 222 Stone Bldg., *
* Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-4462; *
* Telephone: (850) 644-4470 or on Internet: (air@mailer.fsu.edu). *
* AIR WebPage: http://airweb.org *
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